Push to get tough on live trade

Tougher rules would be enforced on shipments of cattle and sheep under a plan by federal Labor MPs designed to intensify pressure on Agriculture Minister
Joe Ludwig
to do more to protect the animals.

The caucus move, which emerged yesterday, counters Senator Ludwig’s policy on exports to Indonesia by calling for stricter controls on exports to all countries and applying Australian standards rather than the weaker international standards imposed last month.

South Australian backbencher
Tony Zappia
lodged a notice which would trigger a full debate on the policy at the next meeting of Labor MPs, setting a deadline aimed at encouraging the minister to adopt tougher standards.

The move comes after Animals Australia, which obtained video footage of the treatment of cattle in Indonesian abattoirs, took aim at the live sheep trade last week by releasing footage of sheep being slaughtered in Turkey.

Included in Mr Zappia’s notice were provisions that would make it mandatory for abattoirs to stun animals before killing them and write these rules into federal legislation, a significant departure from the voluntary use of stunning under current rules.

While the notice did not require a vote in the Labor caucus yesterday, it was lodged with support from ­members of a working group that was dissatisfied with the government decision to resume live cattle exports on July 6, one month after an ABC TV report led to a suspension of the trade.

Senator Ludwig reopened the trade to Indonesia on condition that exporters trace cattle from properties and onto ships and into abattoirs that met agreed international standards. The international standard does not make it mandatory for ­abattoirs to stun animals, but the Australian standard does.

Labor MPs have expressed frustration with the July 6 decision and the cattle trade working group met on Monday with officials from Standards Australia to consider the rules that could be applied to the industry.

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Any changes would affect listed companies including
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(AAco) and
Elders
.

Those seeking tougher rules emphasised yesterday that they were getting a good hearing from the minister and did not want their actions to be seen as a confront­ation with him over the policy.

But Mr Zappia’s notice calls on Labor MPs to adopt a policy that goes beyond Senator Ludwig’s ­current rules, including extending rules to sheep exports as well as the cattle exports addressed in the July 6 decision.

The caucus resolution would mandate the stunning of animals before slaughter and would make this part of all supply chain assurances for all exports, not just to Indonesia.

The resolution would also make the supply chain conditions part of Australian legislation, in a bid to impose a permanent fix rather than a regime that could be adjusted by a future agriculture minister.

A spokeswoman for Senator Ludwig said last night that the government encouraged stunning wherever possible.

“It is clear that stunning provides the best and most efficient way to deliver better welfare standards for animals," she said.

The Indonesian industry appears to have accepted this, saying that the treatment of live cattle imported from Australia would “meet and exceed" the international guidelines.

“Prior to the action by Australia stunning was only used in a small number of abattoirs in Indonesia," the spokeswoman said.

“The minister is pleased stunning is now operating in many sites and is continuing to expand."